Oba Femi on drawing WWE inspiration from Bray Wyatt
Oba Femi was a huge fan of The Wyatt Family and has even drawn inspiration from the late Bray Wyatt in his WWE career.
On a new episode of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Femi discussed what it was like trying to follow WWE as he was growing up as a fan in Nigeria. The product wasn’t available live, but he built up a collection of tape-delayed broadcasts from 2011-2017. One of the acts he took to was The Wyatts.
“I loved Bray. I really, I loved the original Wyatt family,” Femi said. “I just felt so passionately about [them]. The NXT version and when they first got to the main roster. I remember there was one line that they hit. I actually used that line in a promo a few years ago. He said, ‘You can send anybody after us, but like, don’t send anyone that you want back.’ And I was like, ‘This is the greatest bar ever.’ What a bar, what a mic drop. So I loved Bray, I loved watching Bray.”
Femi also really liked Triple H, viewing him as a complete wrestler who was good at everything.
“At this time, your husband,” Femi responded when McMahon asked who his favorite wrestler was. “I’ve watched his stuff, I’ve studied him. It was the way he worked. Just the intensity, the precision. I liked the way he worked in the ring. He was like more of a complete superstar. Like, he was good at everything. Nothing was lacking.
“And I like that. You know, you have your promo guys and your body guys and your workrate guys and all that stuff. But he was complete. The total package, and I respected that.”
Femi said he’s always liked heels and thinks villains might be more important to any story than the hero is. Without a strong villain, there is nothing for the hero to overcome.
In his WWE career, Femi’s goal is to make people feel the same way he did when he was a fan.
“I want to sound real. I want to be real. I want to make people feel things,” he said. “I want to give and then take it away. And I want them to go on that ride with me. That’s what I want to do in wrestling. I mean, championships and conquest is going to come. You know, The Ruler is The Ruler. But I think that’s my big takeaway. I think that’s like when I’m done, I want people to feel Oba Femi.”
It was confirmed on Raw this Monday that Femi will face off against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. This will be Femi’s first WrestleMania since being called up to the main roster from NXT.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.